phosphate

Etymology

From French

Noun

phosphate (plural phosphates)

1. (chemistry) Any salt or ester of phosphoric acid.
2. (US, regional, dated) A carbonated soft drink sweetened with fruit syrup and with some phosphoric acid.
   • 2002, Michael Raleigh, In the castle of the Flynns, page 180:

     “This man here,” she said, “can make you a cherry Coke or a chocolate Coke or a phosphate — a chocolate phosphate or. “Vanilla phosphate,” the man helped, “cherry phosphate, orange phosphate, lime phosphate, lemon phosphate,

   • 2008, Kathryn Kysar, Riding shotgun: women write about their mothers, page 106:

     You order California burgers for us both, even though I don't eat lettuce or tomato, then you order me a phosphate, cherry, a dreadful fizzy drink you say you always loved. It's bitter, bubbly, unbearable; but, thirsty for your past, force myself to drink it.

Verb

phosphate (third-person singular simple present phosphates, present participle phosphating, simple past and past participle phosphated)

1. To treat or coat with a phosphate or with phosphoric acid

Etymology

phosphore +‎ -ate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔs.fat/

Noun

phosphate m (plural phosphates)

1. phosphate

Further reading

• “phosphate” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).